Forgotten Baby Syndrome

Forgotten Baby Syndrome 

Recently, Malaysians were shocked by the story about a 2 years old child died after four hours left in the car by her mother at the parking lot of a college in Port Dickson on 14 March 2018. 

Some of readers regret this had happened although the mother criticized by some readers due to her failure as a mother should be more awareness about the child. Yet, more sympathy is needed and just try to imagine how this mother felt when she saw her dying daughter. I will say it is the grief that cannot be understood by those readers when the guilty of the mother herself is more than the anger that outsiders impose on her. However, the term “Forgotten Baby Syndrome” was once again remembered by social while the similar cases happened frequently. 

What is FBS?

According to Sara (2014), Forgotten Baby Syndrome (FBS) refers to a baby or young child has accidentally left by his or her parents in a locked car, it often results as tragedy. FBS would happen to anyone, “if you are capable of forgetting to post a letter, you are capable of forgetting to take your baby out of the car.” said Matthew Mundy, an associate professor at Monash University. It is because we all have 2 types of memory system which is habit memory and prospective memory. Habit memory is a memory that routine in daily life. As example, the mother’s habit memory was drives car to college. Prospective memory is the memory that beyond our routine. An example of what happened to the mother was that she took her child in the car. habit memory is always stronger than prospective memory because it's been a routine whereas prospective memory will be messed up and taken over by habit memory.

Whom should be blamed?

There are still someone else even the third parties in the social community surrounded FBS case should be introspected although the sense of responsibility of the victim’s mother is doubted. Those peoples included the husband of the mother because he should not shirked from the responsibility for taking care of children and switched it to his wife. In 21 century, a stereotype which is “man as breadwinner and women must be house-keeper” must abandon completely. A man should put more responsibility into the family while a women in nowadays is possibly become his boss in modern working environment.

Rising food prices, slow wage growth, and Goods and Services Tax (GST) caused rising cost of living in Malaysia (Surendra, 2017). Undoubtedly, the fees charged by the childcare centres also affected by those elements and it keeps rising. According to a China Press report (2017), the operating costs of daycare centres had risen by 50-60% since the RM1,000 minimum wage rate became effective on July, 2016. Thus, private daycare centres for children rose their fees by 20-50% in year 2017 to stay afloat and most of them cost RM1000 and above per month. Eventually, parents who are unable to afford the cost have chosen to take care of their children themselves and it has also caused the risk of Forgotten Baby Syndrome increased.

However, there are some strategies help parents to prevent FBS ...

Kids and Cars suggest  BE SAFE:

Back seat – Put something in the back seat of your vehicle that requires you to open the door every time you park – cell phone, employee badge, handbag, etc.

Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.

Stuffed animal – Keep a stuffed animal in your child's car seat. Place it on the front seat as a reminder when your baby is in the back seat.

Ask your babysitter or child-care provider to call you if your child hasn't arrived on time.

Focus on driving – Avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.

Every time you park make it a routine to open the back door of your car to check that no one has been left behind. ("Look Before You Lock.")

Yet, a teddy bear might be helpful in this scenario, as the information given by the picture below. :D

~THE END~